1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grievance call processing system, and in particular to a grievance call processing system used for a customer service reception process in an electronic switchboard.
There has been demanded, not only domestically but also internationally, a system for processing a grievance call for immediately removing a fault in a telephone or a switchboard which lies between subscribers who encounter a call fault.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a grievance call processing system which has been known as one example of a customer service reception processing system in an electronic switchboard is shown in FIGS. 14-22 referring to the operations. The operations for processing a grievance call from a subscriber will be described hereinafter with reference numerals attached to the figures.
In operation of FIG. 14, a subscriber hooks off a telephone TE1 to make a predetermined grievance call (1). For this grievance call a special telephone number, which will be hereinafter abbreviated as T.N. for convenience's sake, such as "116" is transmitted together with the T.N. of the subscriber as a dial notification.
This dial notification thus transmitted from the subscriber telephone TE1 is transferred to a switch unit SW in an electronic switchboard through a subscriber circuit SLC. The switch unit SW further transfers the dial notification from the subscriber telephone TE1 as a dial notification (2) to a central processing unit CC forming the electronic switchboard together with the switch unit SW. At this time, the dial notification (2) includes the special grievance call and a subscriber's T.N. as above-mentioned.
In operation of FIG. 15, the central processing unit CC carries out an analysis (3) for the dial notification (2) as received, thereby recognizing which subscriber has made the grievance call.
In operation of FIG. 16, the central processing unit CC transmits an arrival notification (4) for informing that the grievance call has been received to a trunk CATI exclusively used for the reception of the grievance call. The trunk CATI further transfers the arrival notification (4) to a (telephone) line switch unit CBOX for maintenance as an arrival notification (5), which is then transferred from the line switch unit CBOX as an arrival notification (6) to a workstation TWS provided in combination with a telephone TE2 on the maintenance side.
The workstation TWS displays on a CRT screen that the arrival notification (6) has been received, which is informed with e.g. a buzzer to a maintenance person if necessary. It is to be noted that the workstation TWS is required to be continuously supplied with power.
In operation of FIG. 17, being informed according to the operation illustrated in FIG. 16 of the fact that the grievance call has been received from the workstation TWS, the maintenance person hooks off his own telephone TE2. Accordingly, the workstation TWS transmits an off-hook instruction (7) to the line switch unit CBOX, which then transfers the off-hook instruction (7) to the trunk CATI as an off-hook instruction (8). The trunk CATI further transfers the off-hook instruction (8) to the central processing unit CC as an off-hook notification (9).
In operation of FIG. 18, the central processing unit CC makes a path connection (10) in the switch unit SW between the subscriber circuit SLC connected to the subscriber and the trunk CATI connected to the maintenance person in response to the off-hook notification (9), whereby conversations between the subscriber and the maintenance person are made possible to carry out a grievance call reception (11) on the maintenance side. The maintenance person then inquires the subscriber's T.N.
In operation of FIG. 19, after the grievance call reception (11) is conducted on the maintenance side, the subscriber performs an on-hook operation (12) of the telephone TE1. In response to the on-hook operation (12), the subscriber circuit SLC transmits an on-hook signal (31), which is then transferred to the central processing unit CC, in which the switch unit SW is controlled to perform a path disconnection (32) between the subscriber-maintenance person.
Recognizing the path disconnection, the maintenance person performs an on-hook operation (13) of the telephone TE2.
In operation of FIG. 20, the maintenance person carries out a test for removing a fault which causes the grievance call on the subscriber side.
At first, on the workstation TWS the maintenance person enters a manual input (33) of the subscriber's T.N. which is received or told from the subscriber in the operation of FIG. 18.
Followed by the T.N. input (33), the workstation TWS transmits a demand for a test (trial) activation (18) including the subscriber's T.N. to a testing trunk TT, which then transfers the subscriber's T.N. to a PB (pushbutton) receiver PRU with a PB signal (19). The PB receiver PRU analyzes the subscriber's T.N. from the testing trunk TT by using the PB signal. The subscriber's T.N. is given to the central processing unit CC in the form of a T.N notification (20).
In operation of FIG. 21, the central processing unit CC performs an analysis (22) for the subscriber data based on the subscriber's T.N. received from the testing trunk TT via the PB receiver PRU to specify the accommodation position of the subscriber.
Hence, the central processing unit CC leads the subscriber circuit SLC for the subscriber to be tested in a subscriber testing equipment LTE, and makes a path connection (23) between the subscriber testing equipment LTE--the testing trunk TT.
In operation of FIG. 22, after the completion of the path connection (23), the central processing unit CC transmits a path connection completion notification (24) to the workstation TWS via the testing trunk TT. When the path connection completion notification (24) is provided for the workstation TWS, the maintenance person manually inputs a power supply demand/ringing transmission demand (34) on the workstation TWS.
This demand (34) passes through the switch unit SW via the testing trunk TT, and is notified as a power supply demand/ringing demand (35) to the subscriber testing equipment LTE. The subscriber testing equipment LTE provides the power supply demand/ringing demand for the subscriber through a selector SEL and the subscriber circuit SLC, so that a subscriber call (36) is provided from the telephone TE1.
Then, an off-hook operation is performed by the subscriber and an off-hook operation (37) is also performed by the maintenance person, whereby a testing conversation between the subscriber and the maintenance person is made possible through the testing trunk TT and the line switch unit CBOX, enabling a test condition to be prepared.
In such prior art grievance call processing system, up to the test condition shifting from the reception of the grievance call, the maintenance person should inquire the subscriber's T.N. and take memos thereof for the reception of the grievance call in the state of FIG. 18, and manually input the subscriber's T.N. necessary for the test activation while looking at the memo after the subscriber and the maintenance person have hooked on their telephones as shown in FIG. 19.
Therefore, it is disadvantageous that the maintenance person needs cumbersome operations and may cause input errors.
It is also disadvantageous that due to such a manual operation, the maintenance person and the subscriber having made the grievance call should wait for several 10 seconds up to the test condition, resulting in a large amount of time loss.